RMV opens another loophole

Monday

Dec 31, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Starting Wednesday, a visit to the Registry of Motor Vehicles to register your vehicle will require that you produce documentation showing “proof of legal residence.”

That measure was added by the Legislature in July in response to concerns that vehicles could too easily be registered to illegal immigrants and even unlicensed drivers — part of the public outcry following the death of 23-year-old Matthew Denice of Milford, who was killed in August 2011 when struck by a pickup truck being driven by an Ecuadorian man who was in the country illegally.

Unfortunately, the RMV’s new policy has been implemented with a yawning loophole. Applicants may offer a utility or cell phone bill as proof of residence. That, critics charge, violates the spirit of the July legislation.

The critics are right. It’s a simple matter to tell a phone or utility company that you’ll take care of the account and have them send you a bill. That’s hardly the kind of proof represented by a Social Security number or state-issued ID. A valid driver’s license is also no guarantee that someone is legally entitled to be in Massachusetts — foreign workers can obtain a license legally and then overstay their visas — but it does offer some assurance.

In keeping with the spirit in which the new law was passed, and out of respect for Mr. Denice and others who have been victimized by illegal aliens who have no business driving in Massachusetts, the RMV needs to tighten the rules.